Watch your step on that construction scaffold

OSHA estimates 2.3 million construction workers, or 65 percent of the construction industry, work on scaffolds frequently. According to OSHA, protecting these workers from scaffold-related accidents prevents 4,500 injuries and 50 deaths every year at a savings for employers of $90 million in workdays not lost.

Back in 1996 when OSHA revised its scaffolds standard, Bureau of Labor Statistics studies showed 25 percent of workers injured in scaffold accidents had received no scaffold safety training, and 77 percent of scaffolds were not equipped with guardrails.

OSHA continues to be concerned with scaffold safety. In 2012, there were 6,436 OSHA citations written for violation of 29 CFR 1926.451 (general scaffolding requirements), resulting in $11,423,503 in penalties. That ranked second in the top 10 most frequently cited standards for that year.

A scaffold is defined as an elevated, temporary work platform. There are three basic types of scaffolds:

• Supported scaffolds, which consist of one or more platforms supported by rigid, load-bearing members such as poles, legs, frames, outriggers, etc. Frame scaffolds are the most common type of sup-ported scaffold.

• Suspended scaffolds, which are one or more platforms suspended by ropes or other nonrigid, overhead support. Two-point scaffolds are the most common type of suspended scaffold.

Other scaffolds such as aerial lifts or scissor lifts, which are sometimes thought of as vehicles or machinery, are often considered to be the third type of sup-ported scaffold.

Common hazards associated with all three types of scaffolds include falls from elevation due to lack of fall protection; collapse of the scaffold caused by instability or overloading; being struck by falling tools, work materials or debris; and electrocution due to proximity of the scaffold to overhead power lines.

Workers on scaffolds can be divided into two groups: users and erectors/dismantlers.

Training workers in scaffold safety

Employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace, which includes providing training. All training must be conducted in a manner and language the worker is able to understand.

Only trained and authorized persons should be allowed to use a scaffold. This training must be provided by a qualified person who recognizes the hazards asso-ciated with the type of scaffold being used and understands the procedures to control or minimize those hazards. Training must include how to safely use the scaffold and determine the maximum load limits when handling materials; recognize and avoid scaffolding hazards such as electric shock, falls from heights and being hit by falling objects; and erect, inspect, move, operate, maintain and repair scaffolds.

Erectors’ and dismantlers’ principal activities involve assembling and disassembling scaffolding, which they or other employees will then work on.

OSHA requires employers to provide training by a competent person to each employee who is involved in erecting and/or disassembling a scaffold. A competent person is defined as one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards, and has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

Requirements for designing and constructing scaffolds

Scaffolds must be designed by a qualified person and constructed and loaded in according to that design. OSHA defines a qualified person as one who possesses a recognized degree, certificate or professional standing, or has extensive knowledge, training and experience and can solve or resolve problems related to the work or the project.

A qualified person must perform adequate preplanning to assure the safe erection and use of the scaffold. Preplanning includes determining the type of scaffold necessary for the job, determining the maximum load of the scaffold, assuring a good foundation and avoiding electrical hazards.

Follow the OSHA scaffold requirements and your employees will go home safe at the end of the workday.

For more information, contact Mark Stromme at (920) 722-2848, Ext. 2355 or mstromme@jjkeller.com.